Javier said that after the girls spent the week at Elizabeths in July 1994, he didnt notice anything different at first. While the names of those who make an outcry to CPS aren't public, the affidavit and testimony state that the case stems from a call to CPS in early August that claimed that the couple had a history of domestic violence, including Joseph Martinez pulling a butcher knife on his wife and her threatening him with pepper spray. She denied the accusations of abuse about her and her husband and that she neglected her children. During a cross-examination, Kazen, the prosecutor, broke the flow of his questions to ask, Am I intimidating you up here? It was nearly silent, except for little clusters of words between the sobs. According to Ramirez, the accusation came after she rebuffed romantic advances by Limon. The girls father, Javier Limon, who had dated her sister Rosemary before a messy breakup, had been making advances toward her, she said. Esquenazi became passionately involved, collecting footage for a documentary that she is still filming. An allegation was filed with Child Protective Services that she and her husband were fighting violently in front of their young children and that was grounds for removal to foster care. The Texas Observer is known for its fiercely independent, uncompromising work which we are pleased to provide to the public at no charge in this space. They were all arrested and convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child. A friend had brought 10 outfits on hangers, including black slacks and blouses in various shades of blue and gold, so the women could pick what theyd like to wear.. Javiers sister Cristina agreed: Shes going to flip on the recantation, to get back at her mom.. Recently he had been sending her love letters. Javier Limon, now in his 40s, keeps his graying hair short. Would you like me to go sit down? Elizabeth answered, Yes, please., Later on, Elizabeth interrupted his questions to declare, I love those children 100 percent. She spoke to reporters at her childhood home, a small bungalow where the street dead-ends at a muddy creek. In 1994, four local women in San Antonio were accused of sexually assaulting two children. He had no idea who she was. The lawyers, standing in a row behind them, answered the big-picture questions about the new state law and the legal actions to come. . From the bathroom, she heard screams from her younger sister. Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and. When one reporter asked whom they blame, Kristie offered, I dont think we blame anybody. Ware jumped in and said the blame goes to a number of factors and people, and thats not something were going to get into.. The case caught the attention of just almost every eyeball out there. Detectives gave her a recording device and ordered her to call Morales in prison, record the conversation, then hand it over. Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. Javier did not testify, but told me unequivocally, There was no gun.), Sometimes truth is different, Ruiz told the jury. Ware expects a battle over whether the women are declared actually innocent, a designation that would entitle them to compensation from the state for their imprisonment. The Firm presently has twelve members. Elizabeth Ramirez, right, and Cassandra Rivera are both in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas. 2021 The Texas Observer. The prosecutor, Mary Kay Delevan, reminded the jury that much time had passedthe alleged abuse was three and a half years earlierso the victims may not be able to keep everything perfectly straight.. Elizabeth Ramirez, the aunt, and her friends Anna Vasquez, Cassandra Rivera and Kristie Mayhugh are fighting to clear their names in the bizarre case that spurred talk of Satanism when they were accused in 1994. Gresser claimed thatAlejandre often missed calls from Morris, and still continued selling or using drugs. Alejandre is heard saying. Yes. Maria Vasquez (right), mother of Anna Vasquez, shakes hands with Gloria Herrera (left), mother of Elizabeth Ramirez, as Anna Vasquez's aunt, Valeria Pachecano stands in between during a meeting of the San Antonio Crime Coalition on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. Elizabeth's brother-in-law, Javier Limon, father to the two accusers, had been pursuing Elizabeth romantically, and was angry that she rejected his advances. Our whole relationship was based on him controlling me, she said. Kids' removal called payback for recanting, Woman fighting to clear name in 1994 sex assault is paroled, Parole OK'd for woman fighting for exoneration. Cassie met her one night when she went to pick up a pizza. In 2012, one of the nieces admitted to having been pressured by her father, Javier Limon, to make the false accusations. on He would offer Elizabeth rides, he would give her small amounts of cash when she needed it, and he would leave long messages on her answering machine. Stephanie Limon Martinez (right), shown with lawyer Casie Gotro, is fighting child-abuse allegations she said are based on retaliation. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. There had been other little kidsCassies kids and some neighborsin the apartment throughout the week, but now she was adamant that she and her sister had been the only children. Aunt Liz produced a gun. At H-E-B they met Cassie Rivera, who, before coming to terms with her attraction to other women, had a son and a daughter and then split with their father. At one point, he had as many as 40 of them, and he would haul 5-gallon buckets from a nearby river for them to drink. Matjeka told Elizabeth that if she had committed a crime, her sondue in about five monthswould probably be taken by the authorities. Proving the . Ex-girlfriend of inmate charged with ordering slaying of Javier Limon testifies, Breaking News | Local Sports | Daily Headlines | Local Obituaries | Weather | Local Offers. A statue of a praying angel stands near Maria Vasquez, right, in her living room where Vasquez prayed daily for her daughter Anna Vasquez. I think that first story was really complicated, she explained. Though her attraction to women made her an outsider at home, it led her to new friendships. With a lot of time on his own, Otto developed various research obsessions outside his academic work on fish breeding. A version of this story ran in the January 2014 issue. Stephanie Limon Martinez, right breaks down before 315th District Court Judge Angela E. Ellis during questioning at a hearing concerning custody of her children, in Houston, Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. Both later described it as love at first sight. Rosemary got a job supervising the cleaning staff at the courthouse downtown. But because only copies of the documents are available, the experts reports were inconclusive. Guards at the rural prison stared in surprise at his Canadian ID card. Years went by without a response. Nathan contacted family members and others connected to the case, and Otto sought out reporters and published a short essay of his own on Texas Monthlys website. She would do the same thing if somebody was hurting her child., Elizabeth herself, several months earlier, had said nearly the same words. The scene of the crime had vanished. September 5, 2012. Cassie, who worked at AutoZone and frequented car shows, thought about becoming a mechanic. Gina Kim covers crime and courts for Santa Maria Times. She saw them often. Kristie wanted to return to veterinarian school at Texas A&M if she could find the money. Cassie and Anna tried to meticulously recreate what had happened the week of the alleged crimes. Anna Vasquez had played sports with Elizabeth in high school. I think Im going to wait for him to come to me, she told me shortly before her release. No, nothing like that happened, Limon Martinez replied. The prosecutions expert witness was a doctor named Nancy Kellogg, who estimated that she had examined roughly 3,500 sexual assault victims, most of them children. Swimming with the kids. Elizabeth Ramirez (clockwise from top left), Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez -- the San Antonio Four -- are all out on bond or parole, but face new trials. I think they knew, but they didnt, you know? She remained close to her siblings, buying her little brother Mark clothes (If you had two dollars and needed more money, he said, shed give you 20) and giving her little sister Monica advice (I couldnt honestly ask for a more loving, caring sister, Monica said). Im sad inside. Morales stands accused of allegedly orchestrating the August 2014 murder of Javier Limon, who the prosecution claims was killed over unpaid drug debts to gang members. She tried to get out, but the door was locked. His kids took a liking to Elizabeth, so hed let them stay at her apartment, even after he split with Rosemary. Gentry was a minister, and though he had told the lawyers he believed homosexuality to be a sin, he also said this belief wouldnt cloud his judgment. Theres a home video from the period shortly before Kristie, Cassie and Anna went to prison in 2000. You got lucky! Did you threaten him with pepper spray? the lawyer asked. Alejandre further denied ever selling drugs for Morales or being asked to do so. This makes us one of the biggest by prevailing local standards. Elizabeth, who had recently turned 20, climbed into his unmarked police car. Anna Vasquez, pictured here on Sept. 4, 2012, was incarcerated at the Murray Unit, in Gatesville, Texas. Matjeka typed her answers into a computer. The younger of the two accusers, now 25, has recanted, saying no assault occurred. Limon's body was found. Elizabeth told me that after she became pregnant, Javier offered to marry her and was upset when she refused. Hes been married but now lives alone 40 miles outside of Whitehorse, the territorys capital and, at 30,000 residents, its largest city. Limon brought the case against his own daughter. Kristie Mayhugh, seen here Sept. 4, 2012, is incarcerated at the The new technology was fascinating, but so were social mores. Michelle Mondo, a crime reporter at the San Antonio Express-News, read Ottos piece and began investigating. at what weight should i use a belt for deadlifts . Anna Vasquez could not attend the meeting because of her parole restrictions. He was nearly 2 years old when her trial date was finally set. Cassie remembers her lawyer telling the women that they would surely win and coaching them not to jump up and down when the jury announced an acquittal. The families did their best to move on. He continued typing. Alejandre replied, "I thought so, too. Elizabeth had nervously trudged out of the cellblock, wearing purple eye shadow that contrasted with the white prison scrubs. . Morales didn't incriminate himself in the conversation, Alejandre testified, but police "weren't satisfied" because no confession was elicited. Anna Vasquez, recently released on parole, speaks at a Work-In-Progress screening of "San Antonio Four" a documentary by Deborah S. Esquenazi, about Vasquez and three of her friends, who are still in prison, found guilty of sexual assault of two minors. Casie Gotro, Stephanie's lawyer, is at left. It turned my stomach, she said. All of the Texas Observers articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions: You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. So she left her sisters home and moved in with a girlfriend from school. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Elizabeth knew that being a lesbian would make her an outsider in her conservative Catholic family. Investigators say Richard Adam Hernandez shot and killed Rose Marie Limon on January 31 at her apartment on Pecan Valley Drive. More letters followed, each one taking about two weeks between his home and Elizabeths prison in Marlin. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. She also testified that she felt scared as she was high on methamphetamines, stressed and confused when told there was a murder investigation. She was still leaking milk when the police took her to jail. Kristie Mayhugh is at Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. Javier told me that his daughter wants this all to go away, that she still wakes up in the night crying about what happened to her, and that hell do anything he can to protect her. A tearful Anna Vasquez speaks on a phone during a prison interview Sept. 4, 2012. Once released on bail, Elizabeth relied on family members to take care of her son while she worked at Taco Cabana and tried to fend off the assault charges. It was August 2012, and Stephanie, then 25, was a mother herself. There were liquids and powders and different things. There were syringes and vials of white powder. An appreciative Anna Vasquez, right, looks up to her brother Chris Vasquez at her homecoming. Elizabeth Ramirez is in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas, September 5, 2012. To be honest with you, she said, I feel so bad for my brother, because I tell him hes got the worst luck with women.. She says she didnt pay because he wouldnt let her see the kids. Ramirez told the court that the accusations against her and her friends came after she spurned his advances for marriage. Elizabeth still wasnt sure what she wanted to do, and she struggled with her new identity. At first, Anna was a little distrustful of Elizabeths new friend. Cassie saw Elizabeth for the first time at a Catholic mass. She had been convicted of a crime, but the crime didnt make much sense; he knew that women rarely go to prison for sexually abusing children. In early February 1997, Elizabeth sat at the defendants table as the judge stated the charges against her: aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. Dr. Nancy Kellogg is still a respected member of the San Antonio medical community. He knew what was going to hurt me the most, she told me. Maybe the lawyer could explain to the authorities that no crime had occurred; it was just a malicious accusation orchestrated by a bitter man. (That account was backed up by Oscar, Rosemarys partner in Denver, as well as by Rosemary herself in recent interviews. The story of the San Antonio Four unfolded like this: In the summer of 1994, Ramirez's two nieces, the 9- and 7-year-old daughters of her older sister, stayed for a week with Ramirez and. Prior to the accusation, Elizabeth had rejected the advances of the children's father Javier Limon. Since his mid-20s, when he became a Jehovahs Witness, he hasnt celebrated birthdays or Christmas. Otto found an organization called the National Center for Reason and Justice, which was created in the wake of the 1980s-era satanic ritual abuse scandals to advocate for people wrongfully accused of harming children. As prison guards at the Crain Unit in Gatesville close the gate behind her, Anna Vasquez opens the door to a relative's car after being released on parole Nov. 2, 2012. But as he scanned articles on the Internet, there was one case that didnt fit the pattern. Limon was the boyfriend of Ramirez's sister at the time. I thought my case was going to go away.". When Ramirez rebuffed him, her family claimed, Limon retaliated by coaching his daughters to accuse her of molestation, and the girls ended up accusing Ramirez's three friends as well. You have permission to edit this article. There was seldom evidence other than the statements of children or adults who recovered memories from their youth. She said yes. San Javier Los Pandos Las Palmas Joel Garza Santa CruzLa Represa El Organo Lupe Lpez Don Miguel San Manuel Santa Cruz Los banos Luis Garza Los Drenes . Limon Martinez said it was her father who was rough with her son then. I never heard anything back.. The first days back were like returning from a long vacation. In her original statement to police, there had been no gun, but now there was one. They did. Life after death row and the search for justice. Sitting in the courtroom, Elizabeth was frightened but also puzzled. By late 2013, he had cycled through several careers and was working for a security company and studying criminal justice at a community college in Stafford, near Houston. Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. Elizabeth was stunned. At the station, Matjeka asked if she knew a man named Javier Limon and his two daughters. He liked to party and her workaholic lifestyle drove them apart, but not before she became pregnant with his son. Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. She wasnt receptive, Javier told me. We didnt understand it, and we didnt like it. Elizabeth remembers being racked with guilt as Cassie, Anna and Kristie faced trial together a year later, in February 1998. The patriarch of the family, Limon was given as the reason the sisters made the accusations in 1994, according to Ramirez's testimony at her trial for sex abuse. I asked him, had he been in love with Elizabeth? If a woman abuses a young child, it often means the perpetrator has a mental illness. Kelloggs admission suddenly undermined the key evidence in the case. He introduced himself as Detective Thomas Matjeka from the San Antonio Police Department, and though he was not in uniform, he said he was with the Homicide Unit. She claimed Morales never told her who Limon owed money to but that she did know there had been a business deal between Morales and Limon that went awry and soured their relationship. She saw them often. Delevan, the prosecutor, said she hadnt prosecuted the women for their sexual orientation. In the early 1990s, he told me, he had been working as a heavy-equipment operator for the city of San Antonio and dating Rosemary. 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